North Port 22 Years Old 1982 (Private Cellar)

This 22 year old comes from a 1982 vintage, among the final spirit North Port ever produced before it fell silent in 1983. Bottled by Private Cellar in its Cask Selection and reduced to 43%, it is a quiet record of the Angus distillery the Guthrie family founded in 1820, a plant whose make almost always went into blends rather than a label of its own.

Maturation was in ex-Bourbon American oak, soft refill wood that is low in tannin and suits a light, dry Highland malt. Across twenty two years the whisky reached oxidative maturity, the orchard fruit of the new make deepening and a gentle waxiness building, the bourbon cask lending a steady sweetness without ever overpowering the spirit. The worm tub condensers at Brechin gave the new make a clean, dry base that the bourbon cask then slowly rounded out.

Bottled at 43%, it shows the distillery in balanced, approachable form. Vanilla comes from the vanillin as lignin breaks down, the oak lactones add a light coconut note, and the dry citrus and orchard fruit of North Port's style run clean through it. The finish is soft and lasting, a final year vintage from a Highland distillery that no longer stands at Brechin.